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There are many reasons to be inspired by Eskenazi Health, the city’s soon-to-be-opened new public hospital.

There is the belief, ingrained deeply in the design and architecture of the new building, that everything must be about welcoming patients and their families. The building was built with the goal of making it easy for visitors to navigate the massive facility and possible for patients to spend their days in uplifting environments, designed with the purpose of easing what often is a daunting and grueling experience.

There is the artwork, from modern artists and photographers to legends such as T.C. Steele, that greets you in sometimes surprising places, such as elevator bays and during the walk from the parking garage. The placement is intentional, another way to welcome people and infuse the campus with a spirit of comfort.

There is the natural light that fills the building, as well as what could be an unprecedented level of environmental friendliness in a hospital. It’s all a far cry from many drab hospital experiences, and a dramatic upgrade from Wishard Memorial Hospital, the badly deteriorating facility this one is replacing. And this is not just about beauty; it’s also about medical research that shows how a person’s surroundings can improve their health and spirit.

There is the $81 million that people and groups have donated to the project, including more than $2 million from nondoctors who work at the hospital. That includes gifts made by everyone from nurses to maintenance workers to cashiers. Physicians gave a similar amount.

There is the Sky Farm, a 5,000-square-foot rooftop garden that sits high above the street, allowing patients and visitors to spend time outside, overlooking Downtown, while also providing fresh produce for visitors and the kitchen staff. It ties into the belief that this new hospital, which serves so many low-income and uninsured Hoosiers, should lead by example by serving healthy food. As its leaders note, one thing you won’t find on this campus is a deep-fryer.

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There is the work that Matthew Gutwein and Lisa Harris did to guide this wonderful new project, which is concluding on time and on budget. Gutwein heads the county’s Health and Hospital agency, and Harris is Eskenazi Health’s chief executive. The two not only planned and sold the project but also displayed a masterful budget efficiency, both at Wishard and while planning Eskenazi, that eased concerns and saved the citizens of the county from tax increases.

And there is something you won’t see: the massive urban blight that was replaced by this new hospital. Empty, decaying, depressing structures were bulldozed to make way for a smartly, colorfully designed building and acres of soon-to-be-completed green space. The project is an example of how to make cities better.

So, yes, there are many inspiring aspects to the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Eskenazi Health campus. But perhaps the most inspiring piece of its story is how it was authorized. Four years ago, in a public vote, the people of Marion County approved a plan to spend $754 million on the project. The voters did so because it was clear that Wishard was in dreadful condition and needed to be replaced, but also because they knew that it played a vital role in the health care of thousands of our neighbors and fellow citizens.

Voters not only approved the plan, they did so with a whopping, almost unimaginable 85 percent of the vote. Think about that: More than 8 out of every 10 voters that year approved a massive public spending project for a hospital many may never use. The project received a majority vote in every part of the county and in every one of its more than 500 precincts.

That’s something to remember the next time someone says the people of this city are shortsighted, cheap or unwilling to help others. If a project is needed, efficient and sold well, people around here usually step up. And because they did so four years ago, we now have a gem like Eskenazi Health. The story to this point has been a great one, but, Harris insists, it is about to get even better.

“You take our staff,” she said, “a group that has achieved extraordinary, second-to-none outcomes in facilities that have fought them every step of the way, and you move them into a facility that is as good as they are — well, I can hardly wait to see what they can do.”

Gutwein smiled as his colleague talked. He was standing a floor above a grand piano, donated so that music students could play near the hospital’s entrance and elevate the moods of nervous patients and those who love them.

“I cannot wait to see the first patients walk through the door,” he said, “and to then see how they respond to all of this.”

He’s excited to see that because, in every way and every detail, this hospital was built with them in mind.